1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching system, and more particularly, to a voice communication apparatus in a private multi-media system.
2. Background of the Related Art
Currently, most office environments use a private switching system PBX or a key phone system for telephone communication and network equipment for data communication.
FIG. 1 shows a related art local area network (LAN). As shown in FIG. 1, the LAN includes a plurality of hubs 102 and 103, connected in parallel to a router 101, that is in turn connected to a dedicated network and/or the Internet. A plurality of terminals 104xcx9c105 and 106xcx9c107 are respectively connected in parallel to each of the hubs 102 and 103.
A private telephone network, on the other hand, includes a plurality of telephone sets 112xcx9c114, respectively connected in parallel to a private switching system or a key phone system 111 that is connected to a public telephone network.
Accordingly, in the related art, when using the LAN for data communication, each hub 102 and 103 switches data receiving and transferring paths for the terminals 104xcx9c105 and 106xcx9c107. The router 101 provides the data receiving and transferring path for the hub, through which data communication is made for each terminal 104xcx9c107 via the dedicated network and/or the Internet.
When using a private telephone network for voice communication, the private switching system or the key phone system 111 switches a communication path of the plurality of telephone sets 112xcx9c114, enabling the plurality of telephone sets 112xcx9c114 to be connected to a third party through the public telephone network.
As described above, the related art has various problems. For example, since a LAN cable and a telephone cable are separately wired, the private switching system or the key phone system and a data communication network equipment, which should preferably be provided altogether, require dual communication lines, for example, to a desk of a user. This increases the expense and time taken for cabling.
Second, since a business firm typically uses its own mode for the private switching system, it can have difficulty in adding further capacity to a system, moving into a new office, or changing information with such a classical system establishing and operating method. Also, management expenses are dually incurred because of the separate operation between the voice and the data system.
Third, since the related art private switching system uses a circuit switching method in which specific communication channels are allocated for a voice of each of a telephone service company line and an interphone line and information between the channels is transferred and switched to the other party through a memory buffer, the capacity and the speed for switching is limited, and a high level data link control method is weak for the speed in switching signal information besides the voice information.
Moreover, the voice channel and the signal channel are formed duplex, making the structure of the system and its software complicated.
The switching method of the private switching system according to the related art additionally has problems with expandibility, and since it is a voice-oriented switching system, has structural difficulty in operating along with a multi-media communication on a data communication.
Furthermore, based on the related art, where a company has many branch offices, in order to reduce expenses for toll line calls and international telephone calls between each of the branch offices, the company usually leases an exclusive line from a communication company and bears the monthly fixed charges. Moreover, communication rate on the leased-line for the voice communication is mostly maintained idle, except for a busy time during working hours.
Next, to access the Internet, a long-distance network, such as a wide area network (WAN) is typically constructed between the branch offices, and a connection line path to an Internet service provider (ISP) is built in only one office, for which that office bears the monthly fixed charges for the Internet connection expense.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.
An object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by disadvantages in the related art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus that is capable of mutually communicating on voice by adopting a private multi-media system having a structure that supports interphone line switching and its connection to a telephone service company line on an ethernet LAN line implemented by the IEEE 802.3, for which the voice communication is routed by a WAN to the Internet to reduce communication expenses.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus that is capable of transmitting voice and data over a LAN.
To achieve these objects and other advantages in whole or in parts, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a voice communication apparatus adopting a private multi-media system connecting a telephone service company line and a LAN, which includes an N number of gateway modules for communicating with a public telephone network; a N/M number of packet switching modules for communicating between a public telephone network and the N number of gateway modules or between the LAN and the N number of gateway modules; and an ethernet interface block on an IEEE 802.3 for commonly connecting an N number of ports (PORT1xcx9cPORTN) defining four ethernet transfer lines (Tx+, Txxe2x88x92, Rx+ and Rxxe2x88x92) as one port both to the gateway modules and the packet switching modules.
The private multi-media system adopts an ethernet link implemented by the IEEE 802.3 for communication between internal modules, by which the system itself has a distributed structure that minimizes the LAN network of an office, so that its function can be readily improved according to a later additional module implementation, if any.
The private multi-media system includes a standardized single LAN network structure that supports an internal and external voice communication, a switch structure for multi-media that facilitates an expandibility and includes a voice on a real-time basis in a high-speed switching method, and a single communication path structure taken between a head office and branch office(s) to thereby reduce an expense for long-distance communication. Especially, it has a distributed structure that is suitable for improving its function and expandibility as well as having a reliability.
The N number of gateway modules are constructed in a distributed module method by which each gateway module has a separated processor and a telephone service company line and interphone line connection unit and is operated independently, so that it has an expandibility and a fault tolerant against a defects.
The N/M number of packet switching modules have a structure allowing the packet switching modules to be increased in number so that the number of the interphone line can be accordingly increased as many as desired.
Taking a high-speed packet module method, the ethernet interface block includes an internal-use ethernet port for switching data including a signal and a voice between the gateway modules; and a plurality of ethernet ports being directly connected to a LAN-based independent telephone set or being connected to a hub of the LAN already installed.
To further achieve these objects and other advantages in whole or in parts, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a communication system for a local area network including a private multi-media system for connecting to first and second networks, and a switching unit for coupling a plurality of terminals to the private multi-media system, wherein the first network is a public telephone network and the second network is one of a dedicated network and the internet, and wherein the private multi-media system performs a protocol conversion to couple the public telephone network to the local area network and to couple the second network to the local area network.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.